Paradox # 1 (1961) 

 

    Bro. Lee Vayle   -   July 11, 1984

	...something between and not be a hundred percent right, but later on
get the thing ironed out.

1.	Well, I notice that Bro. Branham here in ...?...  in 1961, was not
one tenth as definitive as it was in 1965. And it's not that he doesn't
say exactly right in 1961, he does, but it's more or less the Message
taken from many things in the Word that does not strike to the doctrine
as it did in '65. Which goes to show that Bro. Branham also had a
revelation that was increasing in its depth, intensity and its
magnitude.

	So, this is going to be good to just go into this to be a big help to
you all to realize don't get too excited that if you're not getting
everything in your understanding the way you want it, it takes time. And
you'll get what you need regardless what's necessary for you to have,
you'll have (I think that was brought out three Sunday's now) as I took
the Holy Spirit in Ephesians, showing you how that you have a very
special place. And I didn't take all the thoughts relative to it, such
as: there's a measure of faith beyond the simple measure of faith for
salvation and the baptism. And there's a God given ability, there's a
God given understanding, all of those things you have. And of course,
they're there in a seed form and you progress in it. 

	And let's face it, if you're more or less in a (what you might call)
not a lesser gift, so much as what we might term as one not so
illustrious, you have everything you need so that what appears not to be
so illustrious will shine just as greatly as that which seems to be
more, or most illustrious.

2.	So, you just listen along here now, and I think you'll find
some...this interesting in that light. Now, he talks first of all about
visions. And I'm starting at page 8.  [Paradox 12-10-61] 

[19]	   ...now, in the visions... I might say this. I mentioned it once.
(That's a vision 				he had) I was going to cut it off the tape, but I
believe I'll just leave it on. It 					was about three o'clock in the
morning, I suppose. I had gotten up, and I looked 				where in front of
me, and I was coming down to the Jordan: 

	Now, Jordan of course we know spells different things. 

	Number one: most people think going over Jordan has to do with dying.
"I'm going 		down to Jordan." And it does.

	Number two: People think of Elisha and Elijah. Elijah crossing over
Jordan, Elisha 		going also, and then Elijah being caught up in the
Rapture.

	[Number three:] And then of course we think of Jordan where we're
crossing over into the 	Promised Land.

	Now, you can look at many features here, whichever way you want to look
at it, but you'll find basically this will be more in line with the
thought of going over into the Promised Land.

3.	So, he said:

		...looked like I was standing on the map of Palestine. And I was
coming down 				to the Jordan. And seemed like I could hear the song,
"I'm going down to the 				Jordan," someone was singing it. And as I
drew near the river, I looked back 				and saw which way I had come, and
I was two thirds of the way there to the 				Jordan. 

	All right, two thirds, that was sometime he had that vision would be
maybe 1961 I suppose, somewhere in that area. (We won't worry too much
about dates, but it's interesting.)

		And I looked across Jordan, and I said, "Oh, praise God, (now listen,)
just 					on the other side is where all the promises lay. (So, all
right, we're looking in 				terms of Jordan, promised land. Going across
to the promised land and that's it.) 					Every promise lays in the
promised land." And then I came to myself, and 					I thought, "Could I
possibly have... Could have been that I was dreaming, 					'cause it's
nighttime?" 

[20] 	See, a vision is something that you see with your eyes open, just
like a dream. 				You're looking right at it, and you're conscious that
you're standing like right 				here in the platform, you're standing
here, but yet you look like you're in a dream. 				You can't explain it;
there's no way to do it. See? It's God's works. And God's 				ways are
unexplainable; they have to be accepted by faith. And then as I sat 			
there a little bit aside of this chair, then all of a sudden, here it
come back again. 				Then I knew then that it was vision. And then when
I came into the vision again, 				it seemed that I was lifted up and
setting on a highway, a narrow highway with 				some brother. 

4.	Now, you see this vision is changing, but it'll be running in
continuity, there has to be something to it.

		I never knew who the brother was. I looked around, and I said, "Now, I
am 				sure and know this is vision; the Lord God is here." And seemed
like everybody 				was afraid. And I said, "What's everybody so afraid
of?" And a voice came 				and said, "There's such danger in these days.
There's a great hideous thing that's 				death when it strikes you." And
I heard the weeds a-mashing down, and I looked,				 and here come a huge
monster snake crawling through the weeds.

[21] 	And I thought, "Now, knowing this is vision, then I shall see what
this animal or 				this beast is." And he crawled up on the highway. And
as soon as I got sight of 				him, I knew it was a mamba. Now, a mamba
is an African snake, which is the 				most deadly bite of all things
there is. There's nothing as poisonous as a mamba. 				And the snake, of
course, (now, let's remember, now he said, the snake of course) 			
represents sin, and death. 

	All right, now that's what it says. He's down here, two thirds to
Jordan and that's the Promised Land. And remember, what we found in the
other Paradox, that there is a day of grace that signifies 'The Promised
Land'. Now, that's not in here. See?

5.	So, this vision and what he's saying here is: well, it's almost
child's play to what you get into in 1965. You can see the difference in
four years, the people would have to have progressed greatly in their
understanding of the man and his message and ministry to apprehend what
he said there in contradistinction to this very minor dissertation. It's
not minor in the sense of reality, but it's certainly not as strong in
its input, represents sin and death. Now, you look now...this is coming
down to where you want to enter in. You want to get into that day of
grace, the Book of Ephesians in view again. Now, he puts this here right
up in front of us.

		See? ...there... We have in this country, the rattlesnake, copperhead,
cottonmouth 				moccasin, many snakes, that if you're in bad health and
one would bite you,  				perhaps kill you, if you didn't get aid of some
sort right away... But we go to 				Africa and India, and we find the
Cobra. There's a Black Cobra; he's a bad snake; 			he's a death-bite
too. And there's a Yellow Cobra, which is far beyond him. With 				the
Yellow Cobra, the patient dies with such a horrible death; he dies from 
			suffocation. The bite paralyzes the breathing system. 

[22]	 They can't breathe; they just open their mouth and gasp, and
trying to breath, 				and die like that. And that was the type of snake
was just one lick from getting 				Billy Paul, when we were in Africa.
And then comes the mamba, he's death. He's 				so fast you can't see
him. He goes over the top of the weeds and propels himself 				with the
back of his tail. ...he's gone. Hits you in the face usually. Stands up 
			high and strikes hard. And when he hits you, you just got a few
breaths till 					you're finished. It don't only paralyze and get in the
blood stream; it gets 					nerves, everything, you just die just in a
few seconds. Those native boys and 				track boys, you can say "mamba,"
and they'll butt their heads together, scream, 				'cause it's--it's
death just in a few seconds (See?) when one hits you. And here 				he
was on the highway. I thought, "Well, this is it." So I looked at him.

6.	[23]   And he looked angry at me, he licked his tongue, and here he
comes. And when 				he got right close to me... then he would run up
fast, and  he'd get slower and 				slower, and just quiver and stop, and
then something would hold him off. He 				couldn't bite me. And he would
turn around the other way, and try to approach 				from this side. And
he would get back and get a start, and swish right towards 				me, get
slower and slower and slower, and then to a stop, and then just shake 		
	like that and move back. He couldn't strike me. And then he turned and
looked 				at my friend, and away he went after my friend. And I saw my
friend just jumping 				way in the air, and over him and over him and
over him, trying, and the thing 				was striking at him. I thought, "Oh,
if it ever hits him, it'll be instant death. No 				wonder everybody's
so scared, because when this thing hits you it's an instant 				death."

[24] 	And it was just striking at him like that, and I threw my hands
up; I said, "O 				God, have mercy on my brother." And I said, "If that
serpent ever strikes him, 				it'll kill him." And just then the serpent
turned to me when I said that, and 					looked at me. And a Voice came
above me and said, "You have been given 					power to bind him, the
worst, or any." 

	Now notice, bind him who is the worst or anything, which would be below
him in category, of power. You'll find that's explained.

		And I said, "Well, God, what must I do?" And He said, "There's one
thing you				 must do: you must be more sincere. (See?) You must be more
sincere." 

7.	All right now, going down to the Jordan, going to the Promised Land,
the day of grace given, we're in the hour of promise right now, and
sincerity is what he has to have. Otherwise, death will strike. And it
seems as though that he is the only one who has power to ward off death,
sin and death. Right? Okay.

		I said, "Well, God, forgive me for my unsincerity, and let me have
sincerity." 				And when I raised up my hands to Him again, there was a
great Something 				came over me, just lifted me up, seemed like that my
whole body was charged 				with Something. I looked at the serpent. And
then he started towards me, and 				he couldn't do it yet. And I said,
"Satan, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, 				I bind you."

[25] 	And the serpent, a blue smoke flew out of him, and he curled up
and made that 				sign like a S, capital S made backwards, a 'And' [&]
sign. (You know that little 				sign there.) And means "bind this one or
anything below him," 'cause he was 				the worst. (See, that's what he's
explaining what God said there.) Blue smoke fell 				out of him, and his
tail choked his ownself to death around his head, when he 				made this
backwards S, and that 'And' [&] sign (like a conjunction... You see?), 	
		choked it to death. And the brother was free. (What's that word?
Ampersand 					[the symbol &] isn't it? That's that little sign, [&]
ampersand, they call that sign.) 

8.	Now, notice what he said. It formed a sign, what he did himself and
literally choked himself to death. Now, that's good thinking, it's
interesting, and the brother was free.

		I went over and mashed on it. I said, "Now, I've got to find out what
this is about, 				because it's vision." And I hit on the thing, and it
turned like that, looked like a 				handle, on a glass handle on a
pitcher, just made it solid crystal. And I said, 				"Think of that, how
quick. That blue smoke was life... 

	You notice, blue is a bad sign. You know that? Blue is a very bad sign
when it comes to spiritism and things, Christ is never in a blue light,
it's an amber light. These pictures people have with all these blue
lights. Good night, you can have them. See why things don't get to me, I
don't care what people say as this light, this picture, that picture. I
make light of the whole thing, unless I do with Bro. Branham. I'm not
interested. You just wait awhile and see what comes out of this hogwash
see, go into. Bro. Branham is different. Blue smoke was life.  

		....everything that left it, all the elements, and is turned to
glass." Just 					then the Voice came again, and said, "You can unbind
him also." So I said, 				"Then, Satan, that I might know, I unbind
you." (In other words, I'm going to 					know now, it can be done.) And
when it did, he started coming to life wiggling. 

[26] 	And I said, "I bind you back in the Name of Jesus Christ." When it
did, the 				smoke flew out of him again, and he choked hisself right
back again and 					turned to crystal. And then when he did that, that
Voice said, "Now, you 					must be more sincere than what you are to do
this." Then it left me, and I 					was standing in the room. 

	Now, we're back here remember, on page 10, that serpent, the snake
represents sin and death.

9.	Okay, now over here, he tells you here that when he bound him he just
literally destroyed himself. Alright, then when you're looking at two
kingdoms, you're looking at the fact that what Bro. Branham was coming
into, was a sincere Word of God that was going to fall back on the enemy
which would cause the enemy his own destruction. Because Satan has
always perverted the Word. And it would take a sincere man, such a
sincere man and I believe his sincerity would lie in his ability to get
his own thinking and himself out of the way, so that he could just be a
literal fool. And notice, there's just one difference in one letter
being 'tool' and 'fool'. And there's just one word to make all the
difference. Two words, one is of God, and one's the devil. You can be
the tool and the fool of God, or the tool and fool of the devil. Just
depends which way you want to go. And it takes great sincerity for this
man to get where he is supposed to go, because remember, he's got
something to do against the devil. Sin, unbelief, death for the sake of
the brethren. Because that's what it's all about. You notice? He
couldn't be touched, but the others could be touched. 

10.	All right:

		In A few moments I heard a clock go off, and my wife was getting up.
The 					children, you know how it is, I guess, at your house, one says,
"What am I 					going to wear today, mama? Where, where are my books?
And what did I 					do?" You know. Just like any home, you can't hear
yourself think, hardly, all				 of them trying to get ready at once. And
so I slipped off into the den room, 				and I got down on my knees, and
I said, "Lord Jesus, I don't know these things. 				What must I do? And
the children will be calling me to take them to school in 				a few
moments. What must I do?" 

[27] 	And I looked around, and my Bible was laying there, and I said,
"Lord, if You 				will forgive me..." 

	Now, he's going to play 'Scriptural roulette' is the term what they
use, you know, because many people make it like a roulette game instead
of something that is really sincere. Can be very sincere if you're
careful, but no one ever advises it.

		I do not believe in just opening up the Scripture, and taking
something out 					of the Bible and saying that, but there is times when
God can comfort you 					by such a thing. And I said, "Lord, in this
case of emergency right now, before 				Your Spirit leaves me. And I
don't know what to do. The kids will be a hour 				yet, before they'd be
gone. Would You just show me? If that was something 				You're trying to
get to me, heavenly Father, let me know." And I took this Bible				 and
just pulled it open like that, and my thumb was laying at I Corinthians
the 				5th chapter, the 8th verse...

11.	So, let's go to 1 Corinthians 5:7, and maybe we'll just read the
verses above that too.    

		(7)	Purge out therefore the old leaven, that (you) may be a new lump,
as 					(you) are unleavened. 

	Now remember, above that It said, "Your glorying is not good." (See?)
Your glorying is not good. Know ye not a little leaven leavens the whole
lump?  

		(7)	Purge out therefore the old leaven, that (you) may be a new lump,
as 					(you) are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed
for us:

		(8) 	Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither
with the 					leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened
bread of 					sincerity and truth. (Or, the unleavened feast is what it
really is. 						There couldn't be leaven in the bread.)

	All right, with sincerity: 

		... reads something like this. (Now he's sort of paraphrasing:)  "When
you 					come..." I was planning on taking a fast to the Lord. I told
Him I'd go out 					and fast. Said, "When you come to this feast..."
Which, a fast in the body 					is a feast with the Lord. We know that.
(Now, remember that.)

[28] 	"So when you come to this feast, don't come with the old leaven or
the leaven 				of malice, and so forth; but come with the unleavened
bread of sincerity and 				truth," just exactly what He had told me in
the vision. "Come..." God is my 				solemn Judge. "Come with the
unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, that 				is the Word." Then I
saw what He meant. (Now he said,  "Then I saw what He 				meant. Now,
he's going to tell you something else now by giving you another vision.)
				Years ago, when I saw the Bible come down (I got it wrote right
here.), come				 down; and a hand came down from heaven and pointed down
to Joshua, (Now, 				this is much more in depth then in '65 then in '61.
Remember, we took the Paradox the 				last time.) hand came down from
heaven and pointed down to Joshua, and read 				the first nine verses,
and stopped there. That's Joshua, come to the wilderness. 				He was
ready to... (He just breaks his sentence's up) When he got near Jordan, 
			God called him out, said, "This day I'll begin to magnify you before
the people." 				And he took the children of Israel across Jordan to the
land where he give 					them, divided them, the promised land.

12.	All right, let's go back to Joshua 3:5. It's not too necessary, but
we'll go there anyway. 

		(5) 	...Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to
morrow 						the LORD will do wonders among you.

		(6) 	And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the
						covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the
ark 					of the covenant, and went before the people.

		(7) 	...the LORD said (to) Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify
thee 					in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was
with Moses, 					so I will be with thee. (And so on.)

	Now, you'll notice what God was doing, was putting Joshua in absolute
charge over everything that God gave to Moses, which was the Word in
order to bring Israel into the inheritance. So therefore, you'll find
William Branham as the Omega of the Alpha 'Paul', would have necessity
have to be the one who would lead the Gentiles into everything that they
were supposed to be lead into in the realm of the physical at the
end-times, so that this hour would bring about the Bride in preparation
and readiness for immortality so the dead could come out of the ground.

13.	So all right, we're going to see, that's what we're looking at. Now,
then he took the children of Israel across Jordan to the land where he
was going to divide to them the Word.

	Now remember, Bro. Branham would be dividing to us the Word of the
hour, is what we're looking at.

		I went to the woods, and prayed, and prayed, and fasted. 

[29] 	And now, I went back to that tree where I had met, where those
squirrels were, 				that you've heard in other messages (See?) where
those squirrels were. And 				standing there, along about three or four
o'clock in the morning, after I'd 					staggered through the brush with
what light I could see to get to the tree, 					coming early because I
was led there... Then I met Him. God, help me ever 				live true. 

	Now, I didn't look that vision up, but I think that's the one where he
talks of the rainbow. I'm not positive, you'll find that, I think
about...having to do with Abraham's Covenant. I'm not, I think because
they had something to do to each other.

		I'm going to read my text now. 

	So therefore, he's got his visions, he's lining them up, and he's
talking of meeting with Him. All right, now then, if he's meeting with
Him somebody's got to be on the scene. So, here we're talking about
Presence; we're talking about a day of Promise; we're talking about
dividing up all of these things that we saw in the other Paradox sermon
which was much more enlightening. Now, here's my text in Joshua 10:12. 

14.	He begins reading: 

[30] 	 Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered
up 					the Amorites before the children of Israel, and said in the
sight of Israel, 					Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and the Moon,
in the valley of Ajalon.

		...the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had
avenged 					themselves upon their enemy. Is not this written in the
book of Jasher? So 					the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and
hastened not to go down for 					a whole day.  

	Now, you notice in here of course, that they avenged themselves. We
don't. When Christ comes, He is the Avenger. And that word 'avenge'
doesn't only mean 'revenge', it means 'to vindicate'. And so therefore,
God is here vindicating a Bride. And the vindication lies in God
Himself. That's why we take such stress upon Presence, and what we say
concerning Presence. We don't merely believe that there was God in the
prophet, we believe it very personal that this is something of the hour
that wasn't previous.

		So the sun stood still and hastened not to go down a whole day.  

		...no day like it before, nor after it, that the LORD hearkened unto
the voice 				of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel.

		And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp at Gilgal.

15.	Now notice, 'the voice of a man'.

 [31] 	May God add His blessings to His Word. Now, I wish, if it be the
will of 					the Lord, that you tarry with me for a few minutes. I want
to take up a subject,				 strange, odd upon reading such a Scripture. I
want your attention and prayer 				during this time. I want to take the
subject one word: 'Paradox." And first 					I'd like to explain what a
paradox is. Webster's dictionary, 'paradox', something 				that's
incredible, but true." That is a paradox. Something that's almost
completely 				out of reason, couldn't be so but yet it is, that's a
paradox. Now I want to rest a 				few minutes on these words, a paradox.
Now, we have many things that we 				could refer to as a paradox. One
thing that I would like to refer to is, this 					world itself is a
paradox. Its standing is a paradox. Last night I was talking 				to my
daughter, Rebekah, that's in high school. And I was studying here in 			
the Scripture, and was telling her about reading this--this verse here.

[32] 	And she said, "Daddy, Joshua actually stopped the world, didn't
he?" I said, 				"I don't know what he stopped. He stopped the sun." She
said, "He could not 				stop the sun, because the sun doesn't travel." I
said, "The reflection of it travels 				across the earth though, and he
stopped that." She said, "Well, then God 					stopped the world." I
said, "Then to the agnostic, what happens if the world 				happens to
stop and lose its gravitational pull? It would shoot through space 			
like a star, or a missiles, it would be falling for a hundred billions
of years of 				space." But the Bible said that the sun stopped, and
held its place for a whole 				day. I believe it. I believe it. It's
unreasonable and incredible, but it's the truth. 

	Now, here's where you can get into a lot of trouble, because people
don't believe these things. Science says, "Well, there's no way this
could happen." What do you and I know about science? 

	See, poor old Galileo, they had him over a stump when the Catholic
church said, "Look, the earth's flat. Now if you don't say it's flat
like we say it is, and stop calling it round, off goes your head."

	"Well," he said, "I'd sooner keep my head." So he said, "It's flat,"
...?... "But it's round just the same." [laughter] That's right he did,
out of the corner of his mouth.

16.	Now listen, let's go a little further of Bro. Branham.

		Pray tell me then, which is the top side of the world, the North Pole
or the 					South Pole? 

	Now, science will tell you categorically that North is the top. And
you'll find really that the Bible seems to bear that out more than
perhaps something else. What I was going to say about old Galileo and
those guys, you see, they didn't begin to take the whole of Scripture
together. They find out that the world isn't flat, because the world's
not square. It doesn't say that the world's square, it says, "The four
corners of the earth." [Isa 11:12] And the Astronauts found out the land
mass has made four complete corners. So then, after all these thousands
of years the Bible has been correct after all. Never said it was flat.
In fact, the Bible says it's round, "He that sitteth upon the circle of
the earth." [Isa 40:22] A circle is round.

	So, (you know) Bro. Branham is saying a truth here. You see, the Bible
is not a scientific book. When It speaks, It speaks the truth. I think
most people understand that if they go into it.

17.	Now, he said: 

		...which is the top side of the world, the North Pole or South Pole?
How do 				you know, if you're in space? You say, "The South Pole's
down, under us."

[33] 	They think the North Pole is down, under them. 

	Oh, how would you feel if you're down under the South Pole? See, just
the same as I felt as I was on the North Pole. Certainly. Then, what's
up to you? Well, it's the truth.

		It's standing in a space, in a little circle of air, as it's turning
some thousand-				something miles per hour. 'Cause there's twenty-four,
twenty-five thousand 				miles around it, and it turns around in every
twenty-four hour..., 

	He's talking about the equator, the circumference. Twenty five thousand
miles I think it is roughly around the world. Like if you stretched a
belt around a fat man, or an apple, you'd come up with twenty five
thousand miles. Twenty four hours in a day, one revolution  and be a
thousand miles per hour. That's pretty speedy. Now, they're breaking the
sound barrier, and they're going well over a thousand miles per hour.
And the earth is turning a thousand miles per hour. Everything is going
thousands of miles per hour, what's going on anyway? Good question.

	I'm just trying to say, everything is very complex here, and there
isn't anything that doesn't end in a paradox. Which we're really boiling
it down is in plain English, it's not being able to be explained, but
it's standing right here.

	How much do people know about electricity? What do they know about
light? Well, not too much, take the fire-fly. He's got a cold light, he
turns his little generator on, they can't figure that one out. We're
into hot-light. But there is a cold light. See?  

18.	Now, he said here:

		...going better than a thousand miles an hour, traveling around. And
it never 				miss a striking exactly. It's on the equator where it goes
around, it never 					misses a minute, perfectly timed, standing in the
air. If that isn't a paradox, 				I don't know what one is. How that
it's all the heavenly systems, how they 					are so timed, so perfectly;
till that, in years that's to come, twenty and thirty 				years from
now, (A whole lot more than that, be hundreds or thousands) science 			
can see the coming of the eclipse of the sun and the moon, passing, and
can 				tell you, to the moment, when they will pass, and when the
eclipse will start. 				No matter how fine a watch that we have, one of
precision... I've got one here 				that was give to me in Switzerland,
as a present when I was there. The value's 				about three hundred
dollars (that's a lot of money back there) given to me.

[34] 	...isn't a week but it has to be retimed; all clocks, nothing that
man can make 				is so perfect. It'll... In a few years it'll be worn
out and gone. As it gets older, 				it'll get worse all the time. The
jewels will wear down. The accuracy will leave 				it. There's nothing
that can be ground or fixed out by man, or honed out by 				man, that
can stay perfect. 

	Now that's right, they're trying to make ball bearings and things in
space, They're trying to put industry up there to make everything all
the better, by the time they get there we will have been gone quite some
time. Thank God.  So, always said nuts to the ball bearings. [laughter]
And you know, there's always somebody can make a better bearing. And
nobody ever beat God's bearings as the prophet brought out here. A
little play on words won't hurt any of us.

19.		But this world stays perfect. What controls it? Well, you say, "I
don't know 				what controls it, what holds it in its place." It truly
is a paradox. You cannot 				describe how God does it, but He does it.
So that's the main thing, that He 					does it. And we know that it is
so. It's incredible how that you could spin a ball 				in the air, it
will not make one complete revolution in the same place. (It can't 			
of course unless it was held up by some means.) I was thinking here
sometime ago 				when I was in the desert. And one of these little old
jumping cactuses that 					the acids in your blood will draw right to
you, one of those fellows jumped 				onto me. (I haven't seen one yet
and I don't want to, but they're there.) And you 					can't pick it off;
you have to take something and rake it off. (He'll tell you why.) 			
It's got little burrs on it.

[35] 	And no matter how well you sharpen a needle, a needle will be
blunt on the 				end; a perfect sharpness of a needle will be as perfect
as you could get it, 					it'll be blunt to one of those jumping
cactuses. And yet it is a leaf itself rolled 				down tight. How could
it be that nature could roll a leaf tighter and sharper 				on the
point, than a fine machine could grind one? And yet, plumb down to 			
the end of that point is little fishhook burrs like that, little burrs
to keep it and 				to hold itself in as it goes in. Oh, a paradox,
right, to science... It's incredible, 				but it's true. I would like
for someone to explain this. I could not tell you exactly 				the miles,
or how many miles science says that the moon is from the earth. 					How
could that moon, I would say, standing thousands and thousands of miles 
			away from the earth, and yet controls that tide of the earth. What
does it? How 				can it be done? It's a paradox, but yet we look and see
that it's done. It happens. 

 [36]    The moon controls the tides. 

	I think myself what he's driving at here, there are too many things
that we ought to wonder at and we don't wonder at them in nature. We
say, "Uff, uff." [makes a noise] And walk on. And you get the things of
God, "Ouf, ouf, " [makes a noise] walk on.

	Like the man finally told brother, "I wouldn't care if he said if you
raise the dead I wouldn't believe you."

	He said, "Certainly not, you're a nonbeliever."

	One man said, "Why don't you strike me blind?"

	He said, "It's too late, your father's already stricken you blind."
Serpent seed.

20.	Now:

   		The moon controls the tide. When the moon rocks out like this from
the earth, 				the tide goes with it. And God has put the moon over the
tides and set the 					boundaries, and they cannot pass that boundary
where God drew a line, and 				said, "See, you can come this close, but
you cannot take the rest of it, for I've 				put My guard over you." 

	You know, I think it was King Canute that they tried to make such a
great king one time in England or somewhere. "Oh," they said, "man, (he
said,) you're so great you can stop the sea." 

	He said he laughed he knew they're a bunch of idiots. "Well," he said,
"let's go down to the sea. Okay sea, (he said,) stop rolling in." Sea
kept on anyway. You know, just...if a man thinks, somebody thinks they
want to flatter, they're that smart just put him to the test. Say, "Go
ahead." See? Now, it's a paradox.  

 		 "You can go so far and no farther, for I'm the guard of God. I'm the
watchdog 				that sets here, and you cannot pass these boundaries."
Explain that. That's 				a paradox, that's how that God does that, but
yet He does it. It cannot be 					explained.

21.	Now, you can take a lot of things in nature and you can explain how
they work. But that's a whole lot different story from making it work.
See, you can take these...you can find out what the genetic code is and
splice the DNA and the RNA and everything else. I don't know how they do
it, because you got to work under a microscopes or something. Doctor's
even make incisions to work under a microscopes, to do certain type of
fine work on your body even. Little tubes and veins, and things I guess,
they've got to have some kind of magnifying glass. Very, very...oh, I
don't know how they do it. You talk about someone being a terrific
artist or seamstress, how can a doctor sew so carefully and get those
things in there just right? That's tremendous. Now, that's wonderful.
But go ahead and make something that you're going to make something out
of. You can't. Man can't do it. He's got always find something out there
to make something with what's already there. But let him try to produce
something of something that isn't there. Well it's impossible.

	"Well," they say, "you make me an idiot."

	I say, "You are an idiot. Your voice already proved it, you say there's
no God."

	Remember, Bro. Branham even called men fools for not just being
atheists. See?   

22.	[37] We got wintertime, snow on the ground, cold, ground's freezing.
A little seed, 				 and in that little seed is a germ of life, and that
little seed will freeze, and 					burst open, and the pulp will run out
of it; and that germ of life will be laying				 in the dust, frozen in a
sheet of ice that would kill any life. How is it preserved 				and then
comes again in the springtime? Couldn't explain that, could we? It's 			
a paradox. 

	Well, if someone will tell you that ants, (you know) they don't explode
in the winter time, because they got antifreeze in them. They're the
first ones...they're smarter than men. Men put antifreeze in the
radiators because the radiators won't bust open. But ants have had
antifreeze for centuries. Thousands and thousands of years.

	Now an ant can take care of antifreeze because he makes it. Give it to
a dog and it will kill him. You drink it, it will kill you. Man thinks
he's pretty smart. You see man can look at nature, there's all kinds of
things that's there, but you get back to what Intelligence did it. I
would sooner go down if there's no God, just go down believing there is
One then without believing One. At least I would consider myself a
little sharper idiot than the other guy. [laughter] 

23.	Now, Bro. Branham goes into what I've been saying here.

		We take Hebrews the 11th chapter and the 3rd verse; we understand
there 				that the Bible says, Paul speaking, the world was framed and
put together 					by the Word of God: a paradox, that a Word could speak
and out of that 					Word would form material things, (now, of course
remember about the squirrels,) 				so that things that do appear was
made out of things that does not appear. 				Things that we see were the
spoken Word of God. (They were the unseen spoken 				Word of God, that's
what he's trying to tell us there.) (Things that we see were the 			
spoken Word of God.) The earth is the Word of God. (Now think of that.)
The 				trees are a Word of God. Why would we be afraid to trust One
that's given such 				a Word with such power and authority? Why would we
be afraid to take that 				Word to ourselves and apply It to ourselves? 

	Now remember, this is based on the fact that he has this vision, and
between the time he has the vision, he's standing there before the
people explaining something. Now, he couldn't of said that before he had
these visions and gone and met God alone with his fasting and praying,
and come back with something on him. Now, he's coming back telling you,
putting the vision together. Putting the squirrel episode together, all
of these things, and telling you something right here. See? It's to our
own selves.

		Why would we be afraid to take that Word and apply It to our ownself?
It 					shows where we have fallen in unbelief.

24.	Now, unbelief is sin and death. Now the challenge goes out in the
paradox. Are you prepared to believe me what I'm going to tell you these
things. Have you seen enough to let you be satisfied that when I said,
squirrels came into existence an act of creation of God, are you
prepared to believe that based on what you have already seen? Because if
you cannot believe me, and what I tell you I know to have happened which
is far greater than what you ever seen happen. You will never believe me
when I begin telling you the Word which all of this comes out of.
Because, this what you see is a Word that you don't see. See?

[38]	 ... truly a paradox, God's Word. Also I would like to show a
paradox right 				quick, and that's when God called Abraham and told him
when he was a 					hundred years old and Sarah was ninety, forty years
past the time of menopause				 for her... And Abraham, whose life was as
good as dead; (it was, there's no way 				they could even copulate,)
Sarah, who was barren to begin with, and her womb 				as good as dead,
(it was dead. There's no way, it was sterile, they both were,) and 			
yet God said that He'd bring through them a child. That's a paradox.
(Now, he 				was saying neither one was actually dead physically, in the
sense that they were not 				molding in the ground. But seminally
speaking they were dead.) Ask the doctor if a 				woman a hundred years
old could raise a baby, have a baby. It's impossible; 				it's
incredible; but she did, because God said she would do it. It's an
incredible 				thing to think that a Man could set with His back turned
to a tent, and a Stranger 				with dust on His clothes, and tell a
woman, who was in the back of the tent, 				what she was thinking about.
A paradox, incredible, but it's true. 

25.	Now, I wouldn't care if that...even the devil did that...your eyes
would blink and your ears flap. Now remember, the devil is also a seer
in the sense of the word. He's  the false seer. I've seen men stand just
like Bro. Branham, but they couldn't do what Bro. Branham did. Read your
thoughts. Tell the future. Tell you the name of the person who stole
your suitcase twenty years ago. Tell the people, then tell them to hire
the man that killed the old farmer and hid him in the manure pile behind
the barn. He didn't go down to California after all. That happened in 
Saskatchewan, Canada. That man there is professor Gladstone. Stand right
there and tell you. The great Marius(?) stand there on TV time and
people walk up and throw questions, had a big fish bowl, he'd pick it
out, didn't even read the thing, tell you what's on it. Tell you it's
going to happen. How is it done?

	The great Kreskin. I think I saw him once on TV, long, long time ago.
Remarkable person. Tell us, nobody knows. Well, you say, "I can read
their thoughts." That's wonderful, who's thoughts are you reading now
that you know it's going to take place down the road? Who's thoughts are
those?

	All right, now you've got the witch of Endor and you've got a real
prophet. Real prophet stands here. Always a prophet that's real stays
with the Word. Now, that tells you whether he's a false anointed one, or
whether he's right with father 'hoop-ti-do' the devil himself. See?

26.	All right, "incredible." All that's incredible. It's done, being
done. 

		It was incredible when Abraham took Isaac to the top of the mountain,
his 					only begotten son, took him up to the top of the mountain to
offer him up as 				a sacrifice. When he got to the top of the mountain,
and he laid Isaac on the 				wood, and was ready to take his life, and
when he was coming down with 					his hand, Something caught his hand.
And there was a ram hooked by its 					horns in the wilderness on top of
the mountain. A paradox.

[39] 	Where'd the ram come from? How could it be a hundred miles from
civilization 				without being killed, lions and jackals, and wild dogs,
and beasts, and things? 				Where did it come from? How did it get
there, on the mountain too where there's 				no water? Why wasn't it
there when he picked up the rocks? He called the 					name
Jehovah-Jireh, (Now, what's he talking about? He's talking about what
God 				provided at that instance. That's 	why with the squirrels of
Jehovah Jireh.) "the Lord's 				provided Himself a sacrifice."
Incredible but true, for He is Jehovah-Jireh. 				Incredible things to
our knowledge and science, but it's true: a great paradox.

	Now, what about the time the Indian's lost their horses, (what twenty
foot of snow up there or something?) Bro. Branham up there no way the
horses could live, yet they found the horses. You say, "Created new
horses?" No, just took them through in a way only God knows.

 		It was a paradox, and will be, when Jesus, Mark 11:22 and 23, said,
"If you 				say to this mountain, 'Be moved,' and don't doubt in your
heart, but believe 				that what you have said will come to pass, you
can have what you said." 					It's incredible, it's true. It's a
paradox.

27.	Now remember, he said, now watch his language, "it was a paradox and
will be when Jesus said, 'mountain be moved'." Who said it? William
Branham. [End of side one]

	Remember, Joshua said, "Sun stand still." Jesus said, "From henceforth
let no man eat fruit of you." And He said there'd be a time coming when
a man would say to the mountains, "fall in the ocean." And that's
exactly the Word and you'll see It come to pass.

		May I stop here to say, yonder in the woods, setting by the side of
that tree 					that morning, no squirrels in the woods, but when a Voice
spoke and said, 					"Say where they'll be"... And there, so help me, if
I die before I finish this 					message, pointing my finger to a
bare-limbed walnut tree, said, "He'll sit 					right there." And there
he was: incredible, but true! 

	Well, that's not too hard. Now you see that's, "Jesus Christ the same
yesterday, today and forever." See, that's the compound meaning. That's
what Hebrews 13:8 is to you and me. It's no longer Mark 16. It's no
longer the healings and things. That's in Pentecost. We've returned to
the Giver. See? The gifts are fine, I've nothing against gifts. Look, if
you want to build a little room here, I'll go in there with you and see
what happens. I haven't lost anything God ever gave me. I'm not worried
about prophecy. I'll see what happens. If nothing happens I'm sure not
going to force it. But I'll tell you one thing, if something's there,
it'll come out.

28.	You say, "Well, what about you sitting there."

	Oh, if I'm on the spot, what about you on the spot? We've not talking
about five-fold ministry now, we're talking about sporadic amongst the
whole bunch of it. Anybody can talk about tongues and prophecy and
anything else. Just go ahead and get yourself a room. That's all, and
don't make it a prayer room. Get it and wait for gifts. But there's a
few strings attached. First of all, you've got to have faith for
discernment of spirits. Number two, you got to know you've got know
you've got something before you go in.

	You say, "I don't think I got anything."

	Now, you're sitting right there on your own. Everybody's got something.
I'm putting you right on the spot. See, I'm not worried, I'm not afraid.
I've been all through that. See? Since I've been through it, it doesn't
mean I can't start over. I'm certainly not going to do the things the
prophet said I wasn't supposed to do, but I certainly and don't mind
trying to do some things if they're still around to be done.

29.	See, Bro. Branham in that picture of those licks of fire, he said,
"See, those are all nine gifts." He said, "I still got them all, though
I haven't lost one." He said, "As long as there'd be a true Bride,
there'd be a true gift of tongues." 

	So we're not against these things. It's just put them in order. See,
people don't want to put things in order. That's why I got to keep
talking about love until one day we iron the whole thing out, and show
just what love is and how it works and where it's going. See, I can't
hit this thing all at one time, because I wouldn't know where to hit it
all at one time. I'm growing along with you people. So, I got faith. I
don't kid myself. I don't kid you any. I'm not up here talking like a
big mouth, no way, shape and form. I just know in Whom I have believed,
that's all.

30.	Now: 

		"Say where they'll be"... so help me, before I finish this message,
pointing my 				finger to a bare-limbed  sat right there: incredible,
but true! He said, "Where 				will the next one be?" 

[40] 	I said, "Over in that bunch of clumps of stuff,"  I never took my
finger down 				and there he was. "Where will the next one be?”

	     “Out on that snag out over that field." And there he was. It's
incredible. I asked 				my wife, the other morning. I said, "Honey, have
I lost my senses? Am I becoming 			a madman? What's the matter with me?
Why do I say the things I do? What do 				I do the things I do for? What
makes me?" I love people, and yet just rip them 				apart. And I fast
and pray to get rid of it; and the more I fast and pray, the 				worse
it comes. Incredible, but it's true; it's true. 

	And what's the incredible part? The incredible part that this man has
these great phenomena, or the incredible part is this: that he's to the
place where he has come and overcome.  Then, is his rough language a
sign that he's just some big-shot? [makes noises like a big-shot]
Because that's what he'd be if he just ...?... by himself.  "I can swing
my way," (phfft) you know. "Hey, you bunch down here, false anointed.
Ricky's, Ricketta's.  Rats and cats, Elvis'." And "Elvita's" I think
Bro. Branham called them. I think I called them 'Elvisetta's'  or
something, Elvita's. Have a little Spanish there aren't we? Elvita.
Well, Bro. Branham was down in Mexico. No, he wasn't some kind of a
smarting off person, see? The way he was, was the way he was. 

31.	Incredible, that a man of his stature would stand up and preach the
way he preached.

		Someone raise her hand just then, back in the building, praising the
Lord. 					It was Hattie Wright, setting down there. She had two boys,
you'll excuse 					me in saying this, renegades, boys of the world. That
little woman setting 					there that day, a widow... I said, "Hattie,
the Lord God... you've said the 					right thing. He provided those
squirrels. He's Jehovah-Jireh."

[41] 	She said, "That's nothing but the truth of God." She said the
right thing. It 					seems incredible a human being could speak... As
Brother Booth told you. 					As dirty, filthy as we are, Who is He that
sets back yonder beyond the moon 				and stars, and all space and time
and eternity? As even Booth said it, and I 				read the same thing that,
reading Irenaeus,  even the Angels are dirty in His 				sight. Who are
we? But a woman said the right thing, that calls the heart of 			
Jehovah. Said, "Ask her what she wants, and then give it to her." Amen. 
				Incredible, but true. Right here now and in our sight is visible
evidence; she 				asked for her boys' souls to be Christians. God gave
her her desire. Incredible. 				That was more of a miracle than healing
a sick person. That's changing a man's 				life, his soul, body, all he
is. It changed his makeup. Incredible, but true. It was				 a paradox.
We see it everywhere. 

32.	Okay, you notice here he's saying, that we're not angels, we're not
in that category, and that's a great paradox that God even uses people. 

[42] 	Paradox in Noah's time. When, Noah, a man, just an ordinary man;
became 				a prophet, or was a prophet of the Lord, perhaps farming. God
said, "Prepare 				for rain to come from heaven," when there was no
rain. There'd never been 				rain. There's no way to get rain up there.
It never rained on the earth. There 				was no seas; no water, yet God
told him to make an ark for the saving of his 				house. God brought the
rain down. Paradox. Unscientific, sure it was a paradox 				anyhow. Yes.
It was a paradox when the Hebrew children had decided they 				would
stay with God's Word, regardless of what happened, the king built the 		
	furnace seven times hotter than it ever had been heated to, and threw
those 					men in there, the intense heat of the furnace killed the men
who walked up the 				gangplank with them to the mouth of the furnace;
they died.

[43] 	But yet those men walked in the furnace for perhaps three hours.
There would 				be no more even dust of them, for the human life that
was in them would've 				perished. If it made one human life perish by
coming close to it, what would it 				do to another human life? Were
thrown in there, for three hours; or maybe five. 				He might have gone
and had lunch, and come back, said, "Open up the furnace 				door. There
won't even be dust of them fellows left." He opened the door, there 			
they were, walking around unharmed: incredible, but true. He said, "How
many 				did you put in?" And they said, we have put three in." He said,
"I see four." That's 				what made the paradox. "And that One looks like
the son of the gods." He wasn't 				son of the gods; He was the Son of
God. They were heathens. Oh, God and His 				great Word. 

34.	Now, you can understand that the heathen can take these red hot
stones, I guess they're literally hundreds of degrees temperature and
just walk on them. Just blip right across them.   And they don't hop,
skip and jump, they take their time. They pull carts with fish hooks
that have been imbedded in their flesh, their tongue, ears and things,
even their eye lids and just pull the cart across. And it can be done by
a controlled basis. But try to get them in a fiery furnace and close the
door. [laughter] 

	Yeah, I never saw anything so funny as when Jack Parr put that picture
on of the Hindu that... he fasted and he prayed, and he prayed and he
fasted and sold tickets. He was going to walk on water. The funniest
thing that he ever saw, he's all psyched up and he took one step, blup,
he goes right down. [laughter] I laughed, but the people were so mad
they're going to kill him, because he had their money. They paid to see
him just blup-out like anybody else could blup-out and send up bubbles.
Didn't even do a decent dive. [more laughter]  

35.		There come a time when God's army had got cowardly and was afraid
of a 				man, and  stood on the side of a hill.

[44] 	When they let one man that was three times any of their size,
stand out on 					the side of a hill, and say, "Now, you trust in a real
God, you say. Or, one 					of you fellows come out and fight me, and we
won't have any bloodshed." 					The enemy of God had backed the church
of God against the hillside, and 					they were taking it. They were
afraid. They were cowards. And in the camp 				come a little bitty
fellow, little sheepskin wrapped around him, a shepherd's 				coat; the
smallest man in the whole army, not even a soldier. But it was a 				
paradox, when God took that one man, little fellow,  that one little
unconcerned 				fellow. The Bible said he was ruddy. That one little man
put the whole army of 				the enemy to flight. That was a paradox. Looks
like God would have given that 				great marching army enough courage to
go fight. They were servants of God, 				why not go fight the battle of
God? That's God's enemy; take it. Looks like He 				would've give them
courage. But God took one little individual. And remember 				another
paradox, he never took a sword.

[45] 	Saul tried to put his armor on him, he tried to put a sword in his
hand. The 				poor little fellow couldn't hold it up. And he took a
slingshot, a little rubber 				or leather...

36.	There's no rubber in those days, it's leather, and a slingshot is
made of two pieces of string, one of which was longer than the other. A
little kind of a place that's wide, you know, in-between, between two
thongs, you wrap one around your hand here, and the other you bring the
string up with your finger to hold it even, and you whirl that thing
around you head, and you let the one string go and if you're dead-eye,
you know that could just about knock the hair off of a fly's eye lid.
The Bible talks the Benjamites, left handed could knock... take a sling
to a hair breadth. You talk about skill. You think you're good with a
22, [a small caliber rifle] because you got a peep-sight. You ain't
peeped at nothing yet. See, these guys were good, believe me.

	Here's old David going to that sling that would ...?... he'd just wheel
that thing around and around, that giant coming and there's just one
peep-hole he'd [makes a noise] he goes right through that peep hole.
Sinks in the giant's skull and he's gone. So David, he just runs up and
takes the fellow's sword, no use having his own sword when you can get
the other fellow's sword.  Actually, there's no prettier way to die in
disgrace then somebody take your own sword and cut your head off.

37.	That's why these policemen you know, their guns are grabbed by
convicts and they're held up with their own guns. You know, I don't know
how they ever keep them on the police force. I think they ought to
resign there. You know, then go down [makes some type of noise] just
pretend you know this... This wasn't just a paradox, this was insult to
injury. I like this, it can really triumph over the enemy.  

		...he took a little piece of leather, two pieces of string wrapped on
it. And he 					defeated the whole army of the enemy and put them to
rout. It was a paradox, 				how that one little boy could put a army to
running. It's a paradox. Sure. 					God does it. He's just full of it.
Yes sir. Sure is. That's what He does. That's 				His way of doing it.
It's a paradox when Egypt had a great army that they 					had. The whole
world was conquered by them. They had every nation under				 their
hands. And when God decided to destroy that army, destroy that nation, 	
		looked like He would've raised up some nation, some  Amorite army, or
some 				great army somewhere, would've put them down there with better
equipment; 				or put an consolidation of all the denominations together
to go down and 					to fight together, so he'd get full cooperation.
(Now, he's hinting himself as 					a prophet you see.) God used a
paradox. Took an old man eighty years old, 					never put a sword in his
hand, but an old crooked stick that sunk Egypt 					in the bottom of the
Red sea. Incredible, what God can do, but that's the way He 				does it.
He uses paradox to do it. See, He brings it to a paradox, a crooked
stick 				of a shepherd instead of a marching army to defeat a nation
that ruled the world. 				(How are we going to come back and take over?
Just as simple.) Oh, the only thing God 			is waiting on now, I
believe... 

38.	[46] Russia don't mean a thing to God. He wants to get one man.
(Now, what's He 				 waiting on? One man.) He doesn't have to have big
organizations. He doesn't have 				 to have big denominations. He wants
to get one man that He can wrap His Spirit 				 into him. That'll tell
the rest of it; there will be another paradox. Until He can 				 get
someone completely surrendered, that will do it... That's the way God
does 				His works; He uses paradoxes. 

	In other words, he's telling you here that the more the man is less of
a man in the sight of men. And I don't mean he's not an upright person
that is strictly, physically well developed person. I'm talking about
the world considers. The big go getter. The great organizer. The great
brain. Ha, they (you know) talk about England had a brain-drain, because
they didn't have any money to take care of their doctors. and their
big-shots brought them over here. Well, I'm going to tell you what,
America's had a bigger brain-drain then they ever thought. Because they
let the brains of God go, and put the brains of the devil in. When they
had the chance to use God's brain over here, that's when this country
really lost out, because we had God's brains here. You can say what you
want, but Paul the apostle said he had the mind of God and so did
William Branham.

39.		It was a paradox when a great soldier of God by the name of
Jehoshaphat stood 				in the gates with a backslidden man by the name of
Ahab, and said, "Before we 				go to this battle, is not it a good thing
that we consult the Lord?" Now, if that 				man's heart is hungry to
know the will of God, there's got to be a will of God 				somewhere. Not
always in the multitude of counsel is safety.

	You know, that's a statement (you know) that a certain fellow made to
me when he wanted me to leave the church that I was led to preach in, so
that he could put somebody else there. You know. He said, "In a
multitude there lacketh not wisdom."

	I looked around for the multitude and I saw him. Why, you take... a man
has got to be spiritual defunct. Now, you know how the language I use,
I'll just refrain tonight, because I don't want to use bad language. My
x-rated sermons I don't want triple-rated. But you can read my thoughts
what I'm really thinking down underneath.

	What kind of a person would sit in one room with one man and say, "In a
multitude there lacketh not wisdom?" Who had he consorted with? Who had
he talked to? It's just the devil all over again. Just the devil all
over again.

40.	Now, let's look at this picture here:

		Not always in the multitude of counsel is safety. Ahab says, "I've got
all my 				ministers. They're  prophets. I'll call them up here. And you
know, if I bring 				out four hundred prophets, we'll find the Word of
the Lord." Not always you 				do, not always. 

	Let's put it this way, hardly ever. Who would you trust or go to,
unless you really went to a regular prophet to really get an answer?

	You know, years ago I learned...when I first started when I was saved,
of course, I didn't, I was never too embarrassed in the sense of
speaking. I always had a lot to say about nothing and conversely.
Nothing to say about a lot, you got that one. And so, first thing I find
myself that I was supposed to teach, supposed to do a little preaching
to young people, you know, that's how they get you coming to church. You
know, how it is, they butter you up. It's axle grease is what it is.
[laughter]  And hybrid corn oil, you know. And, you know, to make you
stay and be part of the game. You can see how far, where I was swimming
in, what waters I was swimming in, because the preacher was a woman.
(Don't get insulted Mary, when you get your ordination we'll classify
you.)

	But anyway, this woman was a nice woman, she didn't know any better.
And I figured if I had her pray, it was (you know) pretty good to help
me out. I used to have her pray. I'm going to tell you something, the
day came when I did my own praying. Because nobody could pray for Lee
Vayle like Lee Vayle can pray for Lee Vayle. Nobody can outside the
realm of the supernatural.

41.	So anyway, here's this...you almost to this place here, he said,
"Now look," he said, "I got four hundred prophets."

	Now ...?... said, "I don't care if there are four hundred prophets, I
better know myself." See?

[47] 	If it's not with the Word, then stay away from it. I don't care
how many there are. 				Stay with that Word. God can't take that Word
back. 

	Now, he's talking about himself, a Kentucky hillbilly, talking about
his background. His father, mother, all those things. All these things
and now he's looking at the denominations and he's going to show you the
paradox of William Branham.

		Now, he brought them all out there, and they all prophesied with one
accord 				that, "The Lord was with them. Go up." 

	They're all saying, "The Lord's with us, we're all going to make the
Rapture." Even those who claim to believe this Message have not read
Breach, page 71, have they? That I read last Sunday. This particular
Coming of the One that came down, there He is there. [points to the
Pillar of Fire picture] He said, "This Coming."

42.	I still ask the question: What Lord do we meet in the air, and what
Lord is here? And if you can't figure that out, you're back with the
Pharisees and Scribes. I'm sorry, this is Lee Vayle talking and I'm
going to put it down. Because you can't have your cake and eat it. Now,
let's not try to make God up and down at the same time, because even God
doesn't say that. Right? Now don't get all kinds of crazy ideas, because
God's God. I going to tell you one thing: God cannot out-God God, or
deviate from being God. He cannot change essentially, or His ways. And
He's told us all about both all we need to know. Then why don't they
know? I'll tell you, it's too many in one group. They get together.

	Who do you think I phone and ask questions of? Nobody. I don't ask
anybody questions, and I haven't arrived, and I'm not an authority. Oh,
I might say, "Hey, can you tell me where this quote is?" I've got to get
my own answers. I'm got to get them from this, [Message book] with that
[Bible] Book.

	Now, I know people don't like me to think that this [Message] book is
on par with this [Bible] Book. Because this book is that Book in the
vernacular. Yeah. Never mind the ...?... Greek that this [Bible] is in,
let's talk the William Branham Greek, that this [Message book] is in.
William Branham Americanese.  There's nothing too hard if you just (you
know) sit with this. Because we know enough about William Branham and
the things of God today to know what he is saying, the all these things
here. Perhaps not as well as we ought to know, but come on we're far
enough down the road.

43.	They all prophesied and said, "The Lord's with you, go on up." See?

		Yet something wasn't right. 

	Well, anybody knows that something's got to be wrong if the whole world
just about all is getting saved. And there's going to be such a bare
minority at the end-time. It makes me realize, I can't have one million
bricks of gold bullion if there's only thirteen available anywhere in
the whole universe. Now, a lot of fool's gold I might have, alloys and
gross misrepresentation.

	What am I saying? The Scriptures says, "The world is going to follow
the antichrist." Then how can it follow Christ? Oh, I'd like to see
somebody go north and south at the same time. Oh, I can help you do it,
I just put a bomb right in the middle of you. [laughter] And point you
north and south and you'll be gone honey. But I'm talking about a sense
of direction. We're going to know which way is up pretty soon. We're
going to be caught up. You know what? Going to be caught into a
dimension. What do we care.

	I don't have to worry about these things. Like Bro. Branham said,
"There coming on a white horse, they're coming on a cloud, what does it
matter as long as He comes." I don't care if that cloud-like coming down
picks me up, or a chariot comes by and picks me up. As long as I get
picked up. I'm a prime candidate for being taken out of here in a hurry.
Not saying I'm going that fast, but I hope so.

		...yet there was something wasn't just right. 

44.	How can it be just right when some people preach their heart out and
say, "Aw, I tell you, saints are going to go through the Great
Tribulation." Somebody come out... "Saint's ain't going to go through
the Great Tribulation. Oh, I want to tell you, you can fall away and be
lost."

	I want to tell you, "No sir! You can't fall away and be lost, bless
God."

	"Oh, there is an eternal hell."

	"No way shape and form, can't be an eternal hell."

	"What's all this stuff about serpent seed, and what happened to Eve
anyway?"

	People are still just as stupid and naive. The devil's got Eve
completely suckered, and she's got everybody else suckered. I kid you
not. I can prove this biologically. Been no problem. Perhaps be proven
biologically. Just read between the lines what Bro. Branham said.

		("Isn't there one more just here?")  Haven't [you] got another one
somewhere?"	               		“Oh, we got one, but I hate him."  Oh,
don't let the king say so." God chose 				one illiterate boy, a little
renegade to the nation, a despised and rejected one, 				to bring His
message to the hungry-hearted. And instead of all the 					
denominations together speaking with one accord in union, God brought
one 				person: a paradox. But one man had the Truth. And it proved to
be the Truth, 				because he was with the Word. It was a paradox,
exactly. Now, you say, "You 				mean you disagree with all this, and
that, and that?" If it's not with the Word, 				I disagree with it.
That's right. God's Word will never fail.

	Now, you see, I could have read you a preface back here, you'd almost
swear Bro. Branham is going to have you lick everybody's boots.

45.	I want to ask you one question: how do you fellowship and what
conditions? You say, "I fellowship with him on condition of the Word."
And what if somebody hates the Word that you stand for? Well, I guess I
can't fellowship and worship. That's right. Now you can love him, you
can help him. But your love never goes past that Word. If it does you
betrayed God. Eve can say all she wants, she loved Adam. She messed up
with the serpent.

	You know why? Because he was more handsome specimen I guess, you figure
that out. It wouldn't be hard to figure out at all. Women all over with
great big... [makes a noise] well, not every woman, but you know.

		Talking with a priest, not long ago, he said, "Mr. Branham, we are
trying 				to argue a point from a Bible." We said, "We believe the
church, nothing but 				that. We believe the church, but the church
says. God is in the church." 

[48] 	I said, "God is in His Word. And He is the Word." That's right,
the Word. 					That's the reason Micaiah took the Word. And God used a
paradox to put					 every denomination to shame and brought to pass the
Word of the servant 				of God: one man, despised, rejected, hated.
What? Hated by his own people? 				Now, he wasn't a communist, or he
wasn't something else. Let's say he was 				Pentecostal, and the
Pentecostal groups hated him. They didn't like him. 					They had
nothing to do with him. But he had the Word of God. God made a 			
paradox out of it. (He's talking about himself.) "Why wouldn't He, if
all these 				other fellows are prophets and ministers, and so forth,
why can't, in all this 				whole big group, decide something better than
one person? (There's all kinds 				out there, why does God want to use
one?) Seems unreasonable that God would 				just make one man's Word
right, than the rest of them." (In other words, he 					would take one
man's word against the others, where He used that one man.) Because 			
that man's word was God's Word. (There you are.) That's the reason God
brought				 the thing to pass, because the man was with God's Word.

46.	The man was with God's Word, It was God's Word with the man. Either
way.

[49] 	The others were prophesying a lie. Yet, it was a paradox when God
took one 				little fellow's Word, and made it true, because it was His
Word. (Now, there's 				your answer.) God has to stand by His Word, not
the council's word. (Not any 				man's word either.) But God's Word,
that's who He stands by. He took Micaiah 				instead of a well-trained
school of ministers...They were men who believed in 				not another God;
they believed in the same God Micaiah believed in. But they 				act like
they believed in It, but wouldn't take His Word because they wanted				
to be popular. They wanted to find favor with the king. And their
blindness 				overlooked the true Word of God. How could God bless what
He had cursed?				 (Now, you see, Ahab was in the picture. How could God
bless Ahab? No way!) You 				ladies and men both, don't think that I do
this to be nasty; I do it to be honest. 				That's the reason. How can I
say that women should have--all right, let them 				cut their hairs off,
and things like that; wear, their clothes, that ain't got nothing 				to
do with it? God's Word says it does. She's shameful and disgraceful as
long 				as she does it, and God will never deal with her. I don't care
how much she 				speaks in tongues, or she shouts or jumps, she's not
got anywhere with God yet. 				That's the Word of the Lord.

47.	Okay, let's go back to 1 Samuel 16:6, to see something here. I think
they might be happy to get a verse of Scripture like this. Of course
we'll look at It.

		(6) 	And it came to pass, when they (came,) he looked on Eliab, and 		
			(Samuel) said, Surely the LORD's anointed is before (me).

		(7) 	But the LORD said (to) Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or
the 					height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD
seeth 					not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance,
but the 					(God) looketh on the heart.

	People say, "Well, what does it matter then if a woman cuts her hair,
wears these clothes, because God doesn't look at the outward
appearance?" Oh you see, that's exactly what He looks on the heart. He
knows what the heart is. If the heart was right, she wouldn't wear those
clothes. She shows what she is. See?

48.	All right.  

[50] 	Men, you who can't rule your own house, and then try to be a
preachers 					or deacon? How are you fit to be a preacher in the pulpit
to lead the 					Church of the living God, and divide for them their
inheritance?...

	Okay, let's just take a look at that, 2 Timothy 2:15. Oh come on, let's
see if there's stumbling blocks in these things we look at here. See,
people don't like to believe the Word of God all the way through.

		(15) 	Study to (show yourself) approved unto God, a workman that
needeth 					not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

	Now, It tells you right there that the man that cannot judge and take
care of his household so that his word is really final, because he's
going to have to deal with the church. He'll never work out in the
church. Because why? He's going to stumble on the Word. He's going to
louse up on the Word. Because that's what he's dealing with. He's loused
up already. I don't care if the man many times might seem not to be not
too nice a head. I've had my kids in arms up against me. I think that's
why we have problems right now. That's why I believe the one boy had to
be taken out of the world they way he was to get really right with God,
in rebellion. That's what the kids are. They never could take it. They
couldn't stand it, to be the whipping kid.

	Some of you people say, "I won't look at anybody, I'll close my eyes
entirely." 

	How many of you could actually stand up here knowing your kids are down
there, didn't do one thing. Would you make them an example for the sake
of others? I'd close my eyes, I don't want to look at you. I'd close my
eyes, because it takes grief and tears inside to say it. Sure it does,
it's not easy. You make up your mind what you want to do. It's not up to
me. You do what you want.

 	But, see look, how did William Branham feel away from home all the
time he's away from home? What he went through. And Mede rose up against
it, she paid a price. Now, she didn't mean any harm, she's a good woman.


49.	All right, listen: how are you fit to be a preacher in a pulpit, to
lead the Church of the Living God and divide for them their inheritance?

	I have people come to me from distances, they phone me, it's always the
same story. Preacher will believe his wife make everybody a liar. I
believe my wife, or I wouldn't have believed anything she told me, of
certain experiences I had, except I was there. I'm not an unbeliever. I
hope I'm not a bad person. I don't know. Maybe I'm...I guess I'm far
worse than I think am, because sometimes I think maybe I'm not (you
know) anymore than ten miles below hell level.

	I want to tell you something: Your honesty in this field will make you
whether you make that Word right or not. Just like a woman who doesn't
wear clothes right, there's something wrong with her. Men who
don't...and I'm not talking about being hard-bitten, or hard-boiled now,
just honest. You can be kind, sweet, generous, all those things go in
there, you should be.

	They cannot divide the Word, unless they stand right in the balance to
bring people together. I am not a pastor, per se, but I'll say this
without fear as though I boast, and I'm not afraid to boast. But I have
more success holding people's hands then the majority of you who call
themselves pastors per se. Because I'm determine not to lose any of you,
and I won't. Uh, uh. There's no way. See?

50.	This is what William Branham's bringing here in the Paradox.
Bringing out and showing it. People can talk all they want, but there's
certain things that cut across all lines, you got to stick with them.
And William Branham did.

		...when, you think more of your meal ticket and the offering that
comes in 					than you do the Word of God, and ashamed to say it before
the women, 					afraid you won't be popular. God have mercy on your
sinful souls. 

	Now, he's telling the people I had a vision about how I stopped the
power of sin and death. I had a vision over here that has to do with 1
Corinthians 15:54-55.  "When this corruptible put on incorruptibility,
(and so on,) ...death is swallowed in victory. Death where is your
sting? Death where is your victory?"  Where is it? 

	Now he says, "I'm telling you that what I have here takes a sincerity
that you don't believe I've got, that I'm not grinding an axe with
anybody. Now I could up here, because I'm pretty ...?...  alongside of
Bro. Branham. I could use this Word as a club over people's head, I've
done it more than once, I'll be honest with you. I've been a hypocrite.
But this man couldn't do that.

	Laying his paradox right up there. Everything you think you want to
look at, I cannot produce one thing that you want to see, unless you've
got a certain connection that I'm connected with. Unless there's
something in there that makes you say, "Hey, there's got to be some one
person somewhere." Like the voice that spoke to me, though not a voice,
"If there's anybody that you should listen to, that will be the one."
That's the one. See?

51.	Now, He calls their sinful soul. 

		Speak the Word of God in truth. John said, "The axe is laid at the
root of 					the tree." 

 	The axe is the Word of God. Now, what's the root behind all this sin
and death? Satan. What is laid against him now to put him out of
commission, that Word. That Word delivered by one person, not a dozen,
but by one person. And when you get the axe laid to the root, that's why
cut-worms are so diabolical. Those dirty stinkers, they're so fat and
greasy down there, I'm killing them by the dozen, I don't know where
they come from. Man, they're under the chips, and the bark and
everywhere. I dig anywhere and see these big old fat greasy things. I
know what they're going to do, they get around and they'll cut that
plant down, that's what they're called, 'cut-worms'. They got cutting
apparatus. 

	Ever see one of these saws that get the grass? One day I heard a
strange thing "zzzzzzzz" sound, I looked and a piece of grass fell over.
Here's a thing called a 'sawfly'. The sawfly had a saw like...you know,
these saw fish I guess. They use to say these saw fish used to saw
through the planks of the ship, that's a lot of hogwash. I think they
just looked like they would do it. But this sawfly, "zzzzzzz". And he
did it. See?

 	All right, you get the root of that thing, there's going to be no
more. Now, watch what Bro. Branham did, absolutely showed the power of
Satan, and Satan bound, then he turns as it were unbinds, (that's
another division of course, bringing that 'deity doctrine') leaves the
thing so we understand Satan is finished, it's all a bluff, but just the
same he's still operating. But he isn't going to operate very long
anymore.   

52.	Now, he says here: "Speak the truth of God."

		"Every tree that don't bring forth the right fruit, hew it down and
cast it into 				the fire." (He's talking to preachers.) God, bring us
another paradox. (It's already				 here.) Why did God take John the
Baptist...instead of a well-trained priest 					that day? He took a man
that never went to school a day in his life. So we 					understand that
John went into the wilderness, the age of nine and was alone 				with
God. 

	Okay, that's as far as we're going to go. Where that's a good place to
stop our review here, as Bro. Branham concerning himself, and I think we
can well finish a little bit of speed next week. We should be able to
finish the full forty three pages.

	All right, paradox, you can understand then how that 1965 is vastly
different, and yet it is the same subject, but the illumination was so
much greater and so much more specific. So then, this hour we can see
paradox in the eyes of God as you never seen it before, that we saw the
incredible, but it's true. And you know what? Like the queen of Sheba we
said, "The half was not told me." And I wonder if we are aware of one
half what God did that is true. Incredible? Not necessarily, but it's
somehow past us by. I believe as the days go on we'll be more and more
aware.  

	Let's rise, and pray the same prayer that Bro. Branham prayed. Maybe
not fasting and praying, but asking the Lord to help us.

	Heavenly Father, what other prayer could we pray in the light of this
man of God bringing us this Message based upon visions. based upon Word,
and the reality of this hour of the Living Word of God in this moment
coming through a prophet, in a prophet, and to us, and in us. And we
know, Lord, we are not nearly as sincere as we ought to be. We know,
Lord, just coming together here and talking about it just does so many
good things with the joy-bells and decisions of uprightness and
righteousness and demeanor, and nature and all those things, Lord, just
seemed to come together with the Spirit of God.

	What would It do, Lord, if we took more time with ourselves with this
Word? Meditating and looking at It as never before. Just giving way to
It. Realizing the great paradox, and in the paradox there'll be things
hard to understand even as Peter said, hard to be understood, "and men
wrest to their destruction."

	Lord, tonight we will not be in that class. No, not at all. But we will
be in that class of the more sincere and the sober. Father in heaven, I
know there's a nervousness and all this, and all that, but there is a
God Who is bigger than any nervousness, or any little twirlings and
merry-go-round, or carousel tactics within us. 

	Father God in heaven, just help us as never before to just burrow right
down within the confines of this Word and see It umbrella over us,
pavilioning in us and until we just become in a oneness with You. And,
Lord, we not have that oneness without the sincerity and sobriety as the
prophet said.

	Father, we believe that we're coming into it. We're asking tonight, and
You said by John the beloved, and he was certainly a fine example. Your
servant he said, "If we ask anything in His Name concerning His will, we
know that He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, we know that we
have the petition that we desire."

	Now, Lord, this is Your will, because we know that if You brought a man
that You wanted more sober and sincere then You would want us likewise.
So, here we stand tonight, knowing  we're asking something in Your will,
and we know that You hear us. We know that, because we know already from
the experience. The prophet said, "The thoughts of our hearts speak
louder in heaven, then the words on our lips." 

	So, Lord, here we are with our heart in our mouth saying, if there's
anything we need, O God, it is sobriety. It is sincerity. It is chucking
these other things and just getting rid of all the nature that's
completely out natured now since we've come into the Presence. We've
seen the Light, darkness doesn't have any place anymore with Light.
Although, we can't claim that in ourselves we are free. But, Father, we
are acknowledging to a place of repentance. To a place, Lord, where we
confirm Your Own Word that the night is past. The Light comes now and
the darkness is being dispelled. Certainly concentrated as the prophet
said in the one place, "shuck it out of us Lord we pray."

	And with it, then we get this real sober, sober seriousness, and this
wonderful attitude, an atmosphere, Lord, that the prophet spoke of. And
here it was way back in 1961, and then we saw it coming in '65, just at
the first of the year, wherein concluding, Lord, the great Message on
The Rapture, he was taken away. 

	We love You tonight, Lord. We know that we do, because we love the
Word. It's been so good to have seen You revealed and love It all the
more. We appreciate all these things. Bless every family here, Lord. Let
there not be one here, even those who aren't here, but what is singly
blessed of God. The joy-bells ringing in the heart. The mind and all
uplifted, Lord, and a determination, not a determination, to do good,
but a life that does good as the prophet so clearly said... [tape ends] 


  

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